Chapter 1234: I Want to Make You Stay (112)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Staring at her calmly, the man said, “Every industry is a microcosm of the real world. It’s the same in the military. If you still haven’t changed your perspective of military personnel even after encountering the black sheep of the military, that just means you’re very certain that those sc.u.ms are just a minority.”
He had voiced An Xiaoning’s thoughts exactly.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Why are you alone here? Didn’t you come in with a companion?”
“I was supposed to come inside here with the archeological team. However, one of them trespa.s.sed and had yet to exit even until now. Thus, they didn’t dare to enter and I got them to go back.”
“They didn’t have the guts to come in but you do? How are you so bold?”
“I’m actually not that brave, but I felt that there was a need for me to come in to take a look.”
The two of them spoke softly while walking. Even after doing so for a long while, they were still clueless and were going around in circles.
Just as An Xiaoning was about to take a break, she caught sight of a man who was squatting by the stone wall, his face buried in his legs. She could tell from the way he was dressed that he was a man.
Her heart dropped, and she thought to herself, Is this the archeologist who trespa.s.sed?
“There’s someone over there.”
“Yeah, I saw it too.”
The two of them continued walking toward the man and stopped when they were about two meters away from him. An Xiaoning yelled at the man who was squatting on the ground. However, he did not respond.
Just as An Xiaoning was about to step forward, the man stopped her and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that he’s already…”
“Even if he’s already dead, I still have to verify it. If he’s dead, I’ll bring his corpse out and give his parents an explanation.”
The man then let go of her and allowed her to proceed.
An Xiaoning pushed him gently.
“Ah!” An Xiaoning shrieked and retreated backward, staring at the man who had collapsed onto the ground with astonishment written all over her face.
The man’s face had turned dark and he appeared extremely aged. He seemed just like a withered flower.
However, An Xiaoning could still recognize him to be the archeologist who had trespa.s.sed a few days ago.
“How did this happen…?” An Xiaoning was bewildered. Even if he had starved to death or died of thirst, he can’t possibly turn into such a state, unless…
Did the corpse mutate too?
But if it did, it would have become a zombie by now, and not just lie there motionlessly. She was very certain that all of the archeologist’s energy had been sucked out of him.
Nonetheless, she tied the rope around the corpse’s legs and dragged it away.
She did not have another option.
The man beside her did not make any comments about what she had done.
They then continued trying to find an exit.
Their legs had already begun aching. Yet, to their bewilderment, they ended up back at the same spot.
After going in circles again and again, An Xiaoning’s patience began to grow thin.
She felt as if time was crawling by. An Xiaoning took a look at the time on her mobile phone to discover that several hours had pa.s.sed since she entered. Has Henry already left? Or did he think that I’d died in here?
“I can’t go on anymore. My legs are aching so badly. Let’s stop to take a break,” she said.
An Xiaoning then squatted down and leaned against the wall while panting heavily, dog tired.
Noticing how exhausted she was, the man stopped walking and asked, “What if we can’t make it out?”
“We’ll definitely make it out so long as there’s an exit. d.a.m.n it. I made some markings when I came in just now. I even left amulets around, yet they had all gone missing. How absurd!”
“Amulets? Are you a… medium?” the man asked in shock.
“You can say so. I’m not sure what I am,” she said while trying to figure out why the amulets had gone missing.
It can’t be a ghost because they can’t touch those amulets. Did a human remove them, then?
Who else is in here apart from this man and me?
She immediately looked at him and asked, “Were you the one who removed my amulets?”
“Did you see me doing that? You and I came in from different entrances. How would I know where your amulets were?” he retorted coldly.
“You have a point.” She was filled with perplexion.
“Look at how horrible this man looks. Is there someone else in here? Or is there a supernatural being?”
“I can’t be sure,” said An Xiaoning, who instantly thought of the owner of the coffin.
“We must get out of here as soon as possible. We’re in great danger.”
“Aren’t you tired at all?” asked An Xiaoning, who was confused as to why he did not seem exhausted at all, for even an athletic person like her was worn out.
“Does fatigue matter more than your life?”
“Makes sense.” She supported herself against the wall and tried to stand up while the man held the rope in his hand.
“What’s your name?”
An Xiaoning looked at him and asked, “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Must I know who you are?”
“No, I just thought that you’d know who I am because I’m always on the news,” An Xiaoning said, chuckling wryly.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“An Xiaoning. I’m 31 years old this year.”
“You’re already 31 years old? I really… couldn’t tell,” he asked in surprise with his brows raised.
“My birthday pa.s.sed in July. I’m 31 years old.”
“You must put in a lot of effort in caring for your skin. You look like you’re in your early twenties.”
Women love being complimented, and An Xiaoning was no exception. She smiled joyously and said, “I am a little vain sometimes. What’s your name?”
“There’s no need for me to tell you right now.”
“…”
Why is he so annoying?
“I told you my name when you asked. Shouldn’t you also tell me yours?”
“I’ll tell you when I feel like it.”
“Forget it, we won’t be meeting each other again after this anyway. If you don’t wish to tell me, so be it.”
He did not say anything else.
They continued walking further, until An Xiaoning’s phone ran out of battery. Fortunately, she had brought along some spare batteries for her torchlight. If not, it would be even more difficult for them to leave if they had to fumble about in the dark.
They would take short breaks in between, every now and then.
At last, her efforts paid off.
They finally found the exit.
An Xiaoning was on the verge of tears the moment she saw the flight of stairs that led upwards.
She felt a sudden burst of energy in her legs and she began making her way up the stairs. When she finally reached the entrance, she noticed that it was pouring heavily outside and that the sky had already turned pitch dark.
Although she could go on without eating, drinking, or relieving nature’s calls, she did not use any of her inner energy today. Hence, she was famished, parched, and exhausted. Without hesitation, she immediately sprinted out amidst the heavy rain.